Pastor Saeed’s Wife to Plead for Her Husband’s Case Tomorrow at UN – White House Offers New Statement of Support

Pastor Saeed's Wife to Issue Plea to UN Tomorrow

The world is watching. And the world is listening. The focus at the United Nations (U.N.) Human Rights Council today was on defending human rights in nations around the world – with special emphasis on the right to religious freedom.

"Freedom of expression as it pertains to religious expression must be an open dialogue for all faiths, without regard to whether a specific religious belief is popular and embraced by a vast majority or, conversely, the religion is disliked by the majority and practiced only by a small minority of a state’s citizenry. Religious minorities, like Saeed Abedini, who is imprisoned in the Islamic Republic of Iran for expressing his religious beliefs, must be able to publicly and privately express their chosen religious beliefs with equal freedom as the majority faith and without threat of government or social persecution.

Violations of the right to freedom of expression must be something more than a discussion. Member states must address the reality – that restricting freedom of expression, especially religious expression, is not in the best interests of a country’s citizens or a country’s security."

Of course, this is a critical opportunity before the United Nations to highlight the case of 33-year-old American Pastor Saeed Abedini – a U.S. citizen – who is being held in a brutal Iranian prison because of his Christian faith.

On Friday, I raised this critically important case before the Human Rights Council.

Pastor Saeed’s wife, Naghmeh, is with me in Geneva. She was scheduled to address the Council today, but the session ran long and she will now offer her personal testimony – and plea for her husband – tomorrow before the Council.

For Tuesday’s presentation, individuals can watch the live stream of the 23rd Plenary Session of the Human Rights Council between the hours of 9:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. (GMT) at this U.N. site here.

There’s been a new development here at home in the ongoing effort to call attention to the plight of Pastor Saeed.

The White House has once again spoken out on Pastor Saeed’s behalf. Mike Majchrowitz, the White House Correspondent from FOX News Radio, asked about Pastor Saeed during a White House briefing on Friday. The White House responded to him with this paper statement:

"We remain deeply concerned about U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini who has been sentenced to 8 years in prison in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs. We can confirm that Mrs. Abedini and her lawyer met with U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Eileen Donahoe. We have reached out to numerous international partners to raise awareness of Mr. Abedini's case and to press Iranian officials to provide him medical attention and to release him.

We continue to send requests for consular access and to press for his release through our Swiss Protecting Power in Tehran. As in every communication we send on this case, the Iranians refuse all requests, as they do not recognize Mr. Abedini's US citizenship. We will continue to press for Mr. Abedini's release . . . until [he is] safely returned to [his] famil[y]."

We believe all the immense pressure on Iran is having an impact and are hopeful that this past week at the U.N. will move Pastor Saeed’s case to new heights and soon lead to his release.

Please continue to sign the petition for his freedom and share his story at SaveSaeed.org.

Desertion is a very old story in the history of armies and armed conflict. Soldiers deserted from the Continental Army, from the Union Army, from the American armies in World War I and World War II — yet those armies fought on, fought well, and prevailed. An army can survive desertion, so to hear...

As Americans, it’s easy to feel powerless in a world where no crime against humanity can remain hidden for long. Each day, we’re inundated with articles, images, videos highlighting the full range of man’s ability to inflict devastation on others. So we ask ourselves: How could I possibly impact...

Last year we filed a lawsuit on behalf of Brandon Jenkins, a student who was denied admission to the Radiation Therapy Program at the Community College of Baltimore County (a public college) after he expressed a religious viewpoint during the program’s admissions process. Because Mr. Jenkins had...

One of the most puzzling aspects of America’s relationship with Iran is the reality that — by rhetoric and conduct — the United States acts as if it fears Iran, while Iran behaves as if it has nothing to fear from the U.S. Iran commits repeated acts of war against the U.S., unlawfully holds our...

In the days leading up to the nuclear negotiation deadline on November 24th, both the U.S. Congress and the United Nations are taking a firm stance against Iran’s violation of human rights. As the Washington Free Beacon reports : The United Nations late Tuesday voted to condemn Iranian human rights...

It’s becoming increasingly clear that President Obama has no intention to actually “destroy” the Islamic State. Even his much-vaunted air war represents a mere shadow of American military capabilities. Here’s Max Boot in a must-read post over at Commentary , comparing the air effort in Iraq and...

CNN’s Christiane Amanpour has once again raised American Pastor Saeed’s plight in an exclusive interview with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani was in the U.S. to address the United Nations General Assembly. He was asked specifically about Pastor Saeed’s illegal imprisonment because he is a...

The ACLJ is an organization dedicated to the defense of constitutional liberties secured by law.

American Center for Law and Justice is a d/b/a for Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism,
Inc., a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code, specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and
freedom of speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to engage legal,
legislative and cultural issues by implementing an effective strategy of advocacy, education
and litigation to ensure that those rights are protected under the law. The organization has
participated in numerous cases before the Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, Federal
District Courts, and various state courts regarding freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
Your gift is very much appreciated and fully deductible as a charitable contribution. A copy
of our latest financial report may be obtained by writing to us at P.O. Box 90555, Washington,
DC 20090-0555.